Social Work – Major
For information, contact Maynard Cressman.
The Social Work Program at Cedar Crest College is dedicated to the provision of
the highest quality educational preparation of students for entry into
beginning social work practice with individuals, families, groups,
organizations and communities. Consistent with the mission of the College, the
Social Work Program seeks to provide students with a liberal arts perspective
and a particular focus on the development of women. The Social Work Program is
philosophically guided by a holistic approach to practice that includes the
spiritual dimension of the human condition. The program is also committed to
preparing professionals who will work to alleviate poverty, oppression, and
discrimination through a dedicated advocacy for social and economic justice.
The Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
and is designed to provide students with a generalist approach to social work
practice. Students who complete the major outlined below will be prepared for a
beginning professional social work practice and usually are awarded advanced
standing in graduate social work study.
Cedar Crest College limits this accreditation to those students who have
completed the required foundation and professional courses, who have achieved
at least a C in each of the professional courses, who have achieved and
maintained a 2.0 or better cumulative grade-point average and who have
otherwise satisfied the College’s requirements for graduation.
Each student’s academic progress and ability to remain in the program is regularly monitored
by the social work faculty. A formal review of the student’s status occurs in the spring term of the junior year to evaluate her
preparation for the senior field education experience (Social Work 339).
Acceptance is based on overall academic course work and particularly on
performance in Social Work 327 (a C or better), which is normally taken in the
junior year.
Recent social work graduates of Cedar Crest College have been employed as
medical social workers in hospitals, as social workers in nursing homes, as
psychiatric social workers in mental health settings, as counselors in
substance abuse and family service agencies, as employee assistance counselors
in occupational settings, and as social workers in child welfare, and Head
Start agencies. Some areas of practice that graduates work in are: gangs, violence, adolescent
mental health, domestic violence, probation and parole, child abuse, Alzheimer’s care, hospice, AIDS services, crisis intervention, and school social work.
Capstone Experience
The capstone experience for the social work program will be the required field
practicum (SWK 339, Field Education in Social Work I) in which students apply
theoretical knowledge gained from professional social work courses as well as
from numerous liberal arts foundation courses they have completed. This course
consists of a 450-hour field placement at a social service agency during the
student’s senior year. Students also are required to attend a weekly one-hour class to
discuss the development of learning agreements with their respective agency
field educators, administration in social work, and spirituality in social work
practice.
Concurrent with the field education experience students are required to take SWK
345, Field Education Seminar I, in the fall semester and SWK 346, Field
Education Seminar II, in the spring semester. Each of these courses integrates
theoretical knowledge students have gained in the classroom with the
experiential learning taking place during the field education and are part of
the capstone experience.
Requirements for the Major in Social Work
The major in social work consists of the following foundation courses:
ANT 100 Cultural Anthropology 3 credits
SOC 100 Introduction to Culture and Society 3 credits
SOC/SWK 313 Minorities and Human Relations 3 credits
SOC 321 The Family as a Social Institution 3 credits
PSY 100 General Psychology 3 credits
PSY 250 Life-Span Development 3 credits
Plus the following required professional courses:
SWK 201 Introduction to Social Work 4 credits
SPS 170/171 Understanding and Using APA
Editorial Style for Social Work Majors* 1 credit
SWK 202 The Social Welfare Institution 3 credits
SWK 243 Social and Psychological Aspects of Aging 4 credits
SWK 300 Community Organizing and Social Planning 3 credits
SWK 303 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 3 credits
SWK 324 Social Science Statistics 3 credits
SWK 325 Social Work Research Methods and Design 4 credits
SWK 326 Evaluating Social Work Research 4 credits
SWK 327 Social Work Processes: Individuals, Families, Groups 4 credits
SWK 328 Poverty and Income Redistribution 3 credits
SWK 329 Generalist Social Work Practice 3 credits
SWK 339 Field Education in Social Work I (Capstone Experience) 9 credits
SWK 345 Field Education Seminar I (Capstone Experience) 3 credits
SWK 346 Field Education Seminar II (Capstone Experience) 3 credits
Additional Requirements
Social work students are required to demonstrate proficiency in Math 102,
College Mathematics, and take Sociology 324. Students who are not computer literate must take CIS 101. To fulfill their
scientific reasoning requirement, social work students must take Biology 111,
The Human Agenda: Environment, and BIO 112, The Human Agenda: Health Issues, in
their freshman or sophomore year. Students transferring from other programs who
have completed upper level biology courses may be exempted from this
requirement with the approval of the faculty.
Departmental Review for Field Placement
Students majoring in Education, Nuclear Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition or Social
Work are required to complete a field practicum or clinical experience. Because this requirement necessitates working with the public in a professional
setting, it is important that the student has advanced interpersonal skills,
mature judgment, and appropriate professional demeanor. Thus faculty in these programs will review students prior to the practicum and
make appropriate recommendations up to and including removal from placement.
*To be taken concurrent with SWK 201.